Grave Thefts at Laurel Cemetery

Police Arrest Thiefs Who Allegedly Swiped Grave Markers

Stealing from the dead. That's what police said happened at a cemetery in Maryland.

Two men recently stole 11 metal grave markers valued at more than $3,000 from Maryland National Cemetery in Laurel, Prince George's County police said.

“This is a one-of-a-kind situation,” Prince George’s County police Corp. Evan Baxter said. “The first we’ve ever encountered with a situation like this.”

On Tuesday, police arrested 52-year-old Nathaniel Keemer and 43-year-old Gregory Gooden. Authorities were tipped off after the duo allegedly tried to sell the plaques to numerous metal scrap yards in the area.

“The number of placards that were attempted to be sold and that they were obvious grave stone markers, whoever it was, our caller thought that was just unusual, and we’re very thankful for it because they were stolen and we did make two arrests on this,” Baxter said.

Police were able to retrieve all 11 stolen plaques.

A spokesperson for Service Corporation International, the company that owns the cemetery, was not sure of any security measures on the grounds.

“I’m glad that we’ve been able to recover all of the markers and we’re working with the cemetery to get all of those markers replaced so that these gravestones don’t remain tarnished,” Baxter said.

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